At my university, the way housing works makes for an extremely stressful placement process. Lottery numbers, obligatory meal plans for some buildings, and a huge range of prices are variables that need to be factored into any decision, along with who and how many people I want to live with.

Anyways, my friend and I both wanted to avoid the meal plan by having a kitchen and prefer to live with fewer people. That being said, when our turn to choose came around, there wasn’t much left, thanks to our horrible lottery numbers. So rather than making a choice, we applied for the cancellation vacancy placement, where the school places students into housing that has been vacated because of study abroad, internships, work, drop outs, &c. We were told we would be assigned by the end of June, so when the end of June came and went, that’s when we began to feel concerned.

Our solution? She sent an email last week, then I sent one yesterday. When I woke up this morning, a message was sitting in my inbox letting me know that we had been placed in a quad. I suppose giving a bit of a nudge can be helpful and it means I have one less thing to fret over as I prepare to welcome my extended family for their annual visit.

It’s strange being away from family on important occasions, like birthdays or graduations or announcements. Today is my Dad’s birthday, and I am sat talking to him through FaceTime. It’s great technology has advanced to a point where we can communicate this easily over long distances, but it is never quite the same. The time difference always plays a part, though staying up is a price I am more than willing to pay. I miss my family dearly, but I still am happy with the choice I made to go to school so far away. At least with technology I can see my family and my puppy, and wish my Dad a happy birthday!

The CEO. How can you choose a career over a family? That’s only a choice given to men. Choosing makes you less of a woman, more of a man, and you don’t want your title stripped from you, right? Aren’t you tired of challenging the people around you? Of keeping up with the men who are only there because of their chromosomes? Every demeaning word, every wandering glance, every interrupted sentence has become a stepping stone, a building block. We dare to burn for something greater. What does your husband do? I can’t imagine you’ll last that long; here’s the number of my divorce lawyer. I hope you signed a pre-nup. You’re single? How are you still enjoying life? There is no way that you’re going to last without a man. Your clock is ticking. You’re going to regret waiting. They assure me that someone will come around and change my mind. I tell them to watch the Queen triumph. I am the perfect choice for my career. The swiftest of mind, the most suited for making the hard choices that lead to better outcomes. In history, women are told they are unsuccessful because, in the end, the commanders lose the man. Don’t you see? If he can’t keep up, he does not deserve to share the throne room.

When I told them I would rather travel the world than raise a child, they told me I would change my mind when I grew up.